Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1887-07-01
PARTIsANSHIP RUN MAD.

THE virulence with which the Presi-
dent has been assailed for the proposed
return of the battle flags, stored in the
war department is something to be pom
dered, and surely will be pondered by
every thoughtful citizen. And the pre-
else question which the country will con-
slider and pass judgment on, is, What
we're the motives of the President and
what the motives of his assailants? As
to the conclusions Of the sober and
patriotic Judgment upon these points, We
have not doubt, NOT the slightest. On
reflection every candid citizen will ac-
cord the President credit for honorable
and patriotic motives in the premises,
and, on the other hand, will ascribe to
his assailants for their reckless denun-
Citations no more worthy motives than
partisanship run mad-a reckless attempt
to naugurate a sectional campaign for
merely partisan and selfish ends.
The proposition originated with Adit.
Gen. Drum. On April 80, he ad-
dressed a letter to the Secretary
of War in which he said:
Il have the honor to state that there are
now in this office, stored in one of the attic
rooms of the building, q number of Union
flags captured in action, but recovered on
the fall of the Confederacy and forwarded
to the War Department for safe keeping,
IA x@E I'll
flags, which the fortunes of war placed IN
our hands during the late Civil War.
While, in the past, favorable action has
always been taken on application, properly
supported, for the return of Union flags to
organizations representing survivors of the
military regiments in the service of the
Government, l beg to submit that it would
be q graceful act to anticipate future re-
quests of this nature, and venture to suc-
gest the propriety of returning all the flags
Union and Confederate) to the authorities
of the respective States in which the regi-
nents which bore these colors were organ
izsu for suoh final disposition as they may
determine"
To whom was it proposed to return
these captured battle-fags? Not to rebel
regiments, for there are none; not to
rebel States. for there are none, but to
Union States Of the South whose govern
ments have none other than a Union
origin, instituted by the authority of the
Union Government which crushed their
rebel predecessors at Appomattox. After
Appomattox there were no rebel States,
no rebels. There Grant returned"
Lees sword to him because he was no
longer a rebel; returned all side arms
and private property to the soldiers of
the dead Coniederacy. Yes, returned"
all the soldiers themselves to their
homes with the horses of the defunct
Confederacy with which i'to do their
springs plowing." The captured arms
and flags were not then returned because
the late rebellious States were absolutely
without sny civil governments. But
when the new governments were insti-
tuted by the triumphant Union, all the
captured arms were returned, after being
repaired, and new arms Of the most i'm
proved pattern were also issued to the
new loyal governments, South, as we'll
as TO the loyal governments of the North.
When rightly viewed, therefore, there
is nothing In Adjt. Gen. Drums order or
the Presidents approval OF it, to justify
the paroxysm OF Gen. Fairchild who said,
May God palsy the hand that wrote that
order may God palsy the brain that con-
ceived it and may God palsy the tongue
that dictated it,"
The partisan rawlings of such demago-
CUES do not sense the situati on. 1t is
rather the reception of the ex-Con-
federates in Boston that indicates the
sober common sense of the situation, af-
ter mere partisanship and personal ambi-
ton have been eliminated. 1t is the
conviction of the people, of the Statesmen
and Of the veterans to whose courage we
owe debt which can never be paid, that
the terrible family quarrel should leave
behind itno trace Of hatred: that the
man who stirs up strife second time, or
puts by feathers weight, any obstacle
in the way of perfect and permanent
union, is by that act a traitor TO his
country and to our children's children.
The man who cements our national
bonds is the country's friend; the man
who would draw US apart, even to
make himself President, is the country's
enemy.